So, it's no secret that the Linux desktop - at least, the GNOME-side of things - is a bit in a state of disarray. Unity hasn't exactly gone down well with a lot of people, and GNOME 3, too, hasn't been met with universal praise. So, what to do? Linux Mint, currently one of the most popular Linux distributions out there, thinks they are on to the solution with their latest release, Linux Mint 12.

Linux Mint 12 has the right idea, but like all things like this, it fails at some minor details. 1) Can't Upgrade between versions.

Technically you can upgrade between versions, it just isn't recommended. In my experience upgrading between Mint versions isn't any worse than upgrading from one version of Ubuntu to another. Of course wiping the OS and reinstalling will usually take less time and be a lot less hassle.

Upgrading is where Linux Mint Debian Edition has a significant advantage over the main release. In theory, a rolling release like LMDE can be upgraded indefinitely without needing to be reinstalled, and the use of Mint's tested update packs makes regular upgrading a lot easier to deal with.